In a twist dripping with irony, Harvard University has stripped tenure from and fired Francesca Gino, a celebrated behavioral scientist at Harvard Business School, whose research centered on honesty and ethical behavior.

The decision, confirmed by a university spokesperson, follows a thorough investigation that found Gino manipulated data in at least four studies to bolster her hypotheses, marking the first time in decades that Harvard has revoked a professor’s tenure.

Gino, widely recognized for her work on cheating, lying, and dishonesty, was first placed on unpaid administrative leave in July 2023 after allegations of research misconduct surfaced. The investigation, initiated by Harvard Business School Dean Srikant Datar, concluded that Gino had tweaked observations to support her findings, undermining the integrity of her research. Harvard’s governing board finalized her dismissal last week.

Gino’s 2012 study, which claimed that placing a declaration of truthfulness at the top of tax or insurance forms reduced lying by about 10%, was among her most cited works. Yet, the revelation that her findings were tainted by manipulated data casts a shadow over her contributions to behavioral science.

Gino has denied the allegations, saying on her personal website in 2023, “I did not manipulate data to produce a particular result. I did not falsify data to bolster any result. Period.” She has also taken legal action, filing a $25 million lawsuit against Harvard, Dean Datar, and the Data Colada bloggers who initially raised concerns about her work.

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